When was the last time you dug out the phone book to look for a business? The majority of people are turning to online searches to find what they are looking for.

Google Places is a very important free tool that businesses should take advantage of, especially local businesses. It is very easy to add new listings or edit existing ones. Not only does having a Google Places listing increase you chances of showing up in a Google search but it also allows you to enter a variety of information about your company and how those searching can find you both online and offline.

Here are 4 ways to improve your Google Places listing:

1. Keywords – Include keywords in your Google Places listing to improve your chances of being found during a Google search.
2. Address – Add your address to your Google Places listing and ensure it is correct. This will provide Google searchers with instantaneous information on how to locate your business including a marker on the Google Map where your business is located.
3. Testimonials – Have your customers leave positive reviews and testimonials on your Google Places page. This is a great way to showcase your businesses talents and build trust with those searching for your type of business.
4. Additional Details – Be sure to include additional details about your business that will help Google searchers find you. It is a great idea to also include more keywords in the additional details area to further optimize your listing.

How do you possibly keep in touch with all the contacts you meet online, at trade shows, business meetings and at networking events? An Ezine is a great way to regularly stay in touch with the people you meet whether it is weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or quarterly. Not to mention the following 4 reasons you should have an Ezine for your company:

1. Showcase your expertise. An Ezine is a great place to share valuable information about your field of expertise and establish yourself as an expert on a certain subject area.
2. Build a relationship. Regularly sharing content allows you to connect with readers from their home or office on their schedule. It provides yet another way to reach out and build that relationship with your current customers or prospects.
3. Increase traffic to your website and blog. Sharing links that feed back to your website or blog about new services or products your company is offering, coupons, articles and blog posts, or a free resource will increase the traffic to your website and blog.
4. New Content for Your Website. Post your Ezine on your website in an archive area every time you send out a note.

Are you ready to design your Ezine and get your important content out there for your readers?

Google+ is around to stay and will be a big player in the world of social media in 2012 so why not kick up your Google+ page this year with these 4 tips:

• Add People To Your Circles – With Google+ you must first be in individuals’ circles before you can add them to your Google+ page circles. So start by building your personal presence and having others add you to their circles.
• Add Google+ Icon – Ensure you add the Google+ icon beside the other social networking icons you already display on your website. This will allow individuals to be able to easily find you and connect!
• Share Unique Content – Use the Google+ circles to your advantage. If you have content that you only want to share with a particular circle choose that individual circle. And if you have content that you don’t want to be shared with anyone else make sure you choose the “Lock this post” option before you share it.
• Add Your Other Networks – Ensure you add all your links to your “About” page. This includes your: Twitter profile URL, Facebook personal URL, Facebook fan page URL, your website, and any other URLs you want to be found at!

We hope you are enjoying the various features Google+ has to offer and that you are extending your reach on the web even further!

Social media can be very tricky when it comes to determining what to share with your networks and what not too! We have all heard Content is King but how do you find a balance between too little and too much? Include these 3 things in your social media to keep your content fresh and interesting:

• Others – Share interesting articles, blog posts, and resources from others that you know will be interesting and important to your social networks.
•  Pictures – Start sharing pictures! Ever heard the saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words?’ Well it’s true! People love to see photos! Photos make your networks feel like they know you on a more personal level. Make sure your photos are engaging to encourage Likes and comments, and sharing!
•  Video – Did you know that more than 3 billion videos are viewed on YouTube per day and 48 hours of video is uploaded every minute (up from 24 hours of video uploaded per minute in March 2010)? Videos are an important part of your social media strategy and are extremely popular with your networks!

Social media is about sharing and engaging with those who are a part of your networks. So get out there and share with the world!

Shopping carts are widely used across the web these days with more and more businesses realizing their power. Many shopping cart solutions offer a variety of services that are incorporated into the shopping cart that make them a single, easy-to-use solution for many businesses with a web presence. Here are 3 reasons you should consider setting up a shopping cart for your business:

• Sell online – A shopping cart gives you the tools needed to be able to sell both physical and digital products online., as well as services and courses.
• Build Your List – Many shopping cart solutions give you the ability to build customer and prospect email lists with sign up forms. They also have built in capabilities to send newsletters, as well as create and send personalized email marketing messages.
• Affiliate Setup – Do you want others to promote your products and services for a commission to increase your reach and sales? Many shopping cart solutions can manage affiliate programs for you that are customized specifically to your business.

Shopping carts have a variety of features that are powerful for your business whether you are selling physical or digital products or services. A shopping cart can help you increase your efficiency, as well as sales through automatic and comprehensive online marketing!

Welcome to Day 5 in our 10 Days to a Fan Page that Converts!

This video is a bit longer, because I couldn’t leave out any of these tips! I’ve packed in lots of tips for using a publishing calendar and what you need to know before you even start!

I take you step-by-step through what you have to have in place before you even start a publishing calendar, exactly how it will help your fan page (and all social media!) and I show you 2 examples.

What other ways do you optimize your publishing calendar?

Are you looking to create a new social media strategy for 2012 but don’t know where to start? As more and more social networks enter the playing field it is important to incorporate these 4 social media tips to step up your strategy in 2012.

• Set Up A Social Media Plan – Create a monthly social media plan based on the activities, events, promos, etc. that you have going on in your business for that particular month. It is important to set out a step-by-step plan that includes all your goals and the actions that you will take to accomplish those goals.
• Measure Your Results – Ensure you are able to measure the results of your social media activities and set out specific analytics you want to track on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. This will help you to keep on track and be able to determine which social media efforts are working and those that are not. This will also help you make changes to your social media and track the results of those changes.
• Outsource – As you get busier and busier this year look at outsourcing your social media activities. There are many companies that offer specialized social media services and can get you going on the right track for 2012!
• Increase Your Presence – Add your social network links everywhere. For example include your social media account links in your email signature, on your other social networks, on your website, on your printed marketing materials, on your business cards, and anywhere else you able to!

Make 2012 the year that your social media explodes and takes you to the next level in your business!

Welcome to day 4 in our 10 Days to a Fan Page that Converts!

Let’s take a look at 3 easy ways to get more usage out of the videos you’re creating for your business!

I walk you through 3 easy steps to using the videos you already have in your business!
Tip 1: Integrate Your Video Blogs
Tip 2: YouTube Tab
Tip 3: Play the Video Right on the Fan Page

What other ways do you use video on your Facebook page?

Welcome to day 3 in our 10 Days to a Fan Page that Converts!

Let’s look at photos. Everyone loves them, for so many different reasons.

I’m going to show you a few ways that you can leverage your photos to drive more traffic to your website. Check it out

I walk you through 3 hot tips (and a few bonus ones too!) on this easy to follow video.
Tip 1: Control Your Banner
Tip 2: Product Images
Tip 3: Event Photos

Bonus 1: Tagging
Bonus 2: URLs
Bonus 3: Descriptions

Did you use any of these ideas? Share them with us and a link to your fan page so we can connect!

Welcome to day 2 in our 10 Days to a Fan Page that Converts!

Today I’m going to walk you through a few examples of welcome tabs and their various features. Then I’m going to lay out 4 simple steps to follow when creating your welcome tab.

The Leveraging Welcome Tabs video walks you through 4 easy steps to creating a page that converts.
Step 1: Be True to Your Brand
Step 2: 1 or 2 Step Welcome Page
Step 3: Engagement
Step 4: Optin?

Did any of these steps inspire you to create or change your fan page? Share your links and thoughts below.